CNN —Developing cannabis use disorder is relatively common in Washington state, one of the first states to fully legalize cannabis, and can even occur in people who only use medical marijuana, according to a new study.
“There’s a perception that people who are using marijuana for medical reasons have a lower risk of a cannabis use disorder,” said lead author Gwen Lapham, assistant professor at Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine in Seattle.
In addition, using both medical and recreational weed led to a more severe addiction than using medical marijuana alone, the study revealed.
There are no current FDA-approved medications to treat cannabis use disorder, Lapham said, so behavior-based treatments or specialty addiction centers are the rule.
A 2021 study found cannabis use disorder rose from 17.7% before marijuana was legalized in Canada to 24.3% after legalization.
Persons:
“, ”, Gwen Lapham, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J, Lapham, Nicholas Vozoris, Alexandre Dumais, ” Dumais, Dumais, It’s, Beth Cohen
Organizations:
CNN, Kaiser Permanente, Tyson School of Medicine, US Centers for Disease Control, Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research, University of Toronto, University of Montreal, FDA, University of California
Locations:
Washington, Seattle, respirology, Washington State, Netherlands, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, France, Canada, San Francisco